More than half of professionals in Ireland took their full holiday leave in 2010, according to research from international recruiter Robert Walters.

The research shows 37% used 75% of their entitlement, 6% used half of their allocated holiday leave and 6% took just 25% of the annual leave they were entitled to.

Ireland also had the highest percentage of respondents who used their full holiday allocation, followed by New Zealand with 55%. Similar trends were seen in Germany, Belgium, the UK and Thailand.

Louise Campbell, managing director at Robert Walters Ireland, says: “Holiday entitlement is a benefit that has increased in recent years, as many organisations have been unable to offer salary increases due to financial constraints. The majority of Irish employers encourage their staff to utilise their annual leave in order to maintain well being and reduce burn-out levels in the midst of challenging economic times.”